NAT Project

          

Opportunities to engage in cooperative learning group work are critical for students of all ages.  According to Sunal (2011), cooperative learning can be defined as “an approach and a set of strategies specifically designed to encourage student cooperation in learning”(p. 204). Rather than simply being placed in groups, students actually have to work together towards a common goal that cannot be reached unless each member of the group does his or her part.   This kind of approach has been proven to help students better learn than traditional competitive and individual learning strategies.   Cooperative learning encourages positive interdependence, individual accountability, group processing, social skills, and face-to-face interaction.  Students learn not just about the topic, but develop their social skills along with “a positive self-image and an improved attitude toward, and acceptance of, classmates”(Sunal, 2011, p. 204). The skills developed during cooperative learning are especially well-suited for the teaching of social studies because these social skills are “essential to democratic attitudes and beliefs”(Sunal, 2011, p.204).  The Native American cooperative learning project assigned to our college class proves that this approach to learning has a positive impact and belongs in classrooms of every grade.    
 This project reinforced the importance of using cooperative learning all throughout schooling, regardless of age.  While I am a college student, I still grow every time I work with a group.  The NAT project allowed me to research a tribe and teach my class, while also allowing me to work with a classmate that I have not worked with as much as some others.  I finished the assignment with no complaints about my group and would love to work with them again.  Projects such as these help us develop more respect for our classmates and the work they put in.
Attached is the link to the presentation my group and I created and taught to our class.  We each contributed information to the slides and gave a successful lesson to our class.  I learned not only about our topic, but also further developed my social and interactive skills. 
Check out our presentation on the Lakota Tribe!